Speak Now Or Forever Hold Your Peace
by EvaDean
Summary: Dean is faced with the dilemna of telling Jo how he truly feels about her or running the risk of losing her to another hunter. Rated T for brief language. Chapter 1. This is my first time writing fan fiction so I accept all honest reviews and constructive criticism.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own rights to these characters (except Ryan). Supernatural belongs to the wonderful Eric Kripke.**

Bang, Bang, Bang! Dean rolls over onto his back and grunts as he grabs the knife from under his pillow. Sam doesn't budge, still asleep after a long night of research.

"What the hell? It's 2 in the morning."

Bang, Bang, Bang!

"Who is it?" No answer "Who is it?" Dean yells louder.

"Dean, why are you yelling?" Sam said, barely audible, as he turns his head toward dean, his eyes still shut.

"What do you mean, why am I yelling?" Dean says as he sits up on the bed and rubs his face. "Don't you hear the banging on the door?" Dean gestures toward the door already annoyed that his sleep was interrupted.

"I don't hear anything. No one is banging on the door. Go back to sleep."

"You know what Sam? I'd love to go back to sleep but I can't. You want to know why I can't go back to sleep? Because someone is banging on the damn door!"

Sam sighs and opens his eyes to look at dean. "Then see who's at the door but shut up, I'm tired." Sam closes his eyes and turns his head back around.

"Yea, sure thing." Dean says, rolling his eyes. Mumbling under his breath, he gets up and walks toward the door. "Like it takes so much energy to move a mouse and click on web pages for three hours."

"I heard that," Sam says. "Don't care," Dean mockingly replies.

Dean grips his knife tight and slows down as he gets closer to the door. Slowly, he turns the door knob and swings the door open ready for whom or whatever's on the other side.

"Hi Dean-O, it's about time you opened the door. It's freezing out here." Jo stated sourly as she stood there with her arms crossed and tapping her foot toting a small suitcase.

Dean lowers his knife and lets out a deep sigh of relief he didn't have to fight any monsters or deal with any demons. He leans out the door and looks to the left and right. Making sure nothing was out there spying on them, Dean steps to the side allowing Jo to walk in.

He watches Jo as she strides past him throwing her suitcase on the floor and sitting in the chair. He can't help but admire her cockiness and confidence. He knows they would make a great pair if it were another place and time in his life.

"Well, what brings you here? A phone call would've been nice you know."

"And ruin the element of surprise?" Jo smirks at Dean.

"Sure. We both know you missed my adorable face." Dean gives Jo his irresistible smile as he walks over to his bed and sits down.

"_Why does he do that? He has to know what his smile does to me. He has to feel the tension between us since the first time we met."_ Jo thought to herself but then brushed those feelings aside to tell him the reason she showed up at his door.

"I need a place to crash. Mom and I had a fight." Jo said as she picked up the knife dean put on the table and started twirling it between her fingers.

"That's nothing new. Ya'll are always fighting, arguing over something … too much estrogen." Dean chuckles at his joke but his grin soon fades as he sees the look on Jo's face still twirling the knife like a pro.

"I'm sorry Jo. You know I have to joke to lighten a situation. I love estrogen! So, what's going on? Trying to go off on another hunt by yourself?"

"I've come to expect those kinds of remarks from you Dean but this is serious. I need some advice."

"What's going on?" Dean asked as he leaned towards Jo. Any kind of humor Dean had left was completely gone as concern grew on his face at the thought of anything bad happening to her or Ellen.

Jo looked over to Sam sleeping soundly. "Don't worry about Sam. He sleeps like a dead man when he's really tired." Dean assured Jo.

Jo bit the side of her lower lip and looked down contemplating how to tell him.

"Mom and I had a big fight not because I want to go on a hunt. We had a fight because I told her I was proposed to and I'm thinking about saying yes." Jo continued to look down, avoiding eye contact with Dean.

"Oh." Dean simply stated. "That's all? That's great!" The look of defeat swept over his face and he was glad Jo was not looking at him. _"Damn. Lucky bastard." _Dean thought to himself before putting on his best fake smile.

Jo looks at Dean, shocked at his response. _"Is he serious? He has absolutely nothing else to say?"_

"So, who's the lucky guy? I didn't know you were seeing anyone." Dean questioned, trying hard to sound and be happy for Jo.

"I'm not . . . It's complicated; His name is Ryan. We dated a little over a year. He left to go on a hunt and we kept in touch for a while, but then I didn't hear from him anymore which was almost a year ago. I thought he was killed . . . then I met you and Sam."

"Then you met me and Sam." Dean repeated, his smile starting to fade. "So, I take it Ellen doesn't want you to marry a hunter?"

"No, that's not it. She thinks he's moving too fast and she doesn't like the fact that all of a sudden he's back and wants to pick up where we left off."

"You know Jo, that doesn't seem like you. Not giving him a hard time being gone so long. What's his excuse?"

"What makes you think I didn't?" Jo replied inquisitively. "He was hurt pretty bad and had temporary amnesia. Pieces of his memory started to come back until he realized what happened and how long he was away. He's been back a little over a month now and I didn't say yes. A lot has changed since then." Jo gives Dean an expectant look hoping he catches the hint—he doesn't.

"Well, you're a big girl. I'm sure you'll make the right decision." Dean gives Jo a slight smile saying more with his eyes than he spoke. Jo, picking up on this, gets up from her chair and sits next to Dean on the bed.

"Dean." Jo said, as she inched a little closer to Dean. "I am a big girl." Dean, looking down, turned his head to face Jo. "What do _you_ think I should do? Is there any reason I should say no?"

Still looking into Jo's eyes, "I think it's almost 3 a.m. and I'm sure you're exhausted. Why don't you get some rest?" With that, Dean gets up and walks towards the bathroom.

As soon as he closes the door, Jo lets out an exasperated sigh and falls back on the bed in defeat. "I just can't get a straight answer out of that man!"

In the restroom, Dean leans onto the sink and looks at himself in the mirror. He attempts to shake his feelings off.

"What the hell is wrong with me?" Dean reasons with himself. "Why can't I just tell her how I really feel? Marriage? Hell no! That's it! I'm going to tell her how I feel." Dean, confidently, turns around and goes into the room determined to profess his feelings to Jo, but that determination soon fades when he finds Jo sound asleep.

"Figures." Dean says as he walks toward the bed. Carefully, he picks her up and repositions her on the bed. He then takes off her shoes and puts the blanket over her. Dean moves to the other side of the bed and gets in. He looks at her for a few minutes before sleep overtakes him.


	2. Chapter 2

It's 7 a.m. and Dean wakes up to an empty bed. He sits up on the bed and rubs his head. He looks over to Sam's bed and sees a freshly made bed and hears the shower cut off in the bathroom.

"Wow that was a vivid dream." Dean quietly says to himself. As Dean gets out of bed, Sam walks into the motel room with three cups of coffee and breakfast pastries in tow.

"Rise and shine sleeping beauty!" Sam says with a wide grin on his face as he looks at a confused Dean.

Dean looks in the direction of the bathroom, rolls his eyes, and rubs his temples as if he just got a bad headache.

"That wasn't a dream. Jo is here."

"Yep, she sure is! You two looked pretty comfortable when I woke up about an hour ago." Sam said with a smirk on his face as he set the coffee and pastries down on the table.

"Shut up Sam!"

"No, seriously. You looked like an old married couple the way her arm was wrapped around your waist and your arm around her shoulder-cute!" Sam let out a slight laugh.

Dean looked at Sam and gave him one of those _"If you say another word, so help me God, I will kick your ass,"_ looks.

"What is she doing here anyway?" Sam asked curiously.

"She and Ellen got into a big fight last night and she needed a place to crash." Dean answered solemnly.

"They're always fighting over something. What happened? Jo wants to go off on another hunt?"

"I wish." Dean replied in a very low tone and started to rub his temples again, but low enough for Sam to hear. Sam was about to ask why when Jo strolls out of the bathroom.

Jo is wearing snug fitting low-rise jeans that are very complimentary to her figure and a white baby t-shirt showing about an inch of her bare waist and her well toned arms. Her hair is freshly washed and somewhat dried, pulled into a messy bun with some hair hanging down causing her t-shirt to be wet between her breast and her back.

"Hey guys." Jo says smiling as she looks at Sam and Dean and walks toward the table.

She grabs a coffee and sits in the chair. "Good morning sunshine." Jo says to Dean who can do nothing but look at her speechless.

"Hey Jo!" Sam greets her back. "Help yourself, I figured you would be hungry. So, what brings you here? I heard you and Ellen got into another fight. What's going on?"

Dean gets up and walks into the bathroom closing the door behind him. Minutes later you hear the shower cut on.

Jo looks at the bathroom door and hurt shows on her face. She turns and looks at Sam who is thinking a million thoughts but decides to keep them to himself.

"My old boyfriend, a hunter, proposed to me and I told her I was considering saying yes."

"Oh, wow, ok. Uhm, congratulations." Sam said. That wasn't at all what he was thinking of. _"That explains a lot."_ Sam thought.

"So he's another hunter? What's his name?" Sam asked.

"His name is Ryan. He left on a hunt a little over a year ago. When I didn't hear from him I thought he was killed. I grieved for a few months, but then I moved on. Then I met you and Dean and . . . Dean . . . never mind. I figure why not. At least I know how he feels about me and I know the hunting life." Jo replied.

"Don't you think you're moving too fast? I mean, where is he now? Why didn't you go to him?" Sam asked.

"I thought I left my mother at the Roadhouse." Jo retorted. "He's in Minnesota somewhere hunting a doppelganger. I came here because I wanted to talk to Dean and get his thoughts on it but getting a straight answer out of him is like pulling teeth."

Sam laughed, "Yeah, it's a hard job but not impossible. If you look closely and pay attention you can get an answer out of him without him saying a word."

Jo nods her head slightly pondering what Sam just said.

"Did you say he's in Minnesota hunting a doppelganger?" Sam asked as he got up, grabbed his laptop, opened it, and started clicking.

"Yeah, why?" Jo replied as she sat next to Sam to see what he was searching.

"I was researching a string of murders near St. Paul that seemed unusual. I wonder if Ryan is hunting the same thing." Sam answered. "Dean and I were heading out there today. Maybe he can use some help, and we can grill him for you!" Sam said teasingly.

"Yeah, that would be great." Jo said sarcastically.

Dean steps out of the shower as steam escapes behind him. He's wearing nothing but a pair of white boxer briefs under faded blue jeans that aren't baggy but in need of a belt. He walks over to his duffel bag while drying his hair with a towel. Jo just stares as he throws the towel on the bed and digs in the bag to grab a t-shirt and belt. She can't help but stare as his back and arm muscles flex as he puts on his t-shirt. She quickly turns back to Sam as Dean turns around and walks towards them while putting on his belt. Sam rolls his eyes as he closes his laptop and puts it in his bag.

"So, what's the plan?" Dean asks as he grabs a coffee and sifts through the pastries with a slight disappointed look on his face as he grabs a danish. "Doesn't anyone serve pie in the morning?"

"Remember the string of murders in St. Paul I was researching last night?" Sam answered.

"Yeah, and?" Dean said.

Sam continued, "Well, after talking to Jo, it appears we have a doppelganger on our hands."

"So, Ryan's doppelganger huh?" Dean grins as he takes a bite into his danish.

"He wishes." Jo says low enough for Sam to hear. Annoyed, Sam gets up.

"Look, from what I've researched about this monster, it's pretty smart and strong. Five people are already dead and no one has any leads on this thing. I think we should go to Minnesota and help this Ryan guy. He may need it."

"He's a hunter Sam. You're not the only one who can research and properly prepare."

"What's the problem Dean? It won't hurt to check it out. _Dean shakes his head. _Besides, we can take Jo to her possible fiancé."

Dean takes in a very deep breath, closes his eyes and breathes out slowly looking down with a torn expression on his face. Sam looks at Jo and gestures his eyes toward Dean. Jo looks at Dean and her eyes squint as if she's trying to read his mind.

"Well, I'll go check out while you put everything in the car. When I get back I guess we'll be ready to hit the road." Sam says as he walks towards the door and off to the main office closing the door behind him.

"I'll grab your suitcase for you." Dean says as he grabs the handle of her suitcase and walks toward the door.

"Dean!" Jo says in frustration as Dean grabs the door knob and is about to walk out.

Dean turns around and looks at her but she can't find the words to speak.

"Never mind." Jo says as she watches Dean turn back around and walk out the door.


	3. Chapter 3

The ride to St. Paul is a long and quiet one. Even with Metallica playing on the radio. Dean's the driver so Sam and Jo have no choice but to listen. Dean looks into the rear-view mirror at Jo who is looking out of the side window deep in thought. He then glances over to find Sam looking at him with a strained look on his face.

"What?" Dean asks, irritated.

"Nothing." Sam says as he shakes his head and turns back around.

"Hey," Jo chimes in. "Can we make a stop? I need to use the restroom and some food wouldn't hurt—I'm hungry.

"Sure thing, I'm hungry myself." Dean then spots a local diner off the highway and takes the exit.

As Dean pulls into a parking spot and turns the car off, Jo gets out first and heads to the diner. Dean is about to get out before Sam grabs his arm pulling him back into his seat.

"What!"

"You and Jo really need to talk. I know you don't want her to marry this guy, so just tell her already."

"This is none of your business Sam; stay out of it!" Dean yells at Sam.

"I like her. I think she's good for you and you're about to screw it up."

"Look, I'm planning on it alright! Now is not the right time."

"It will never be the right time. Not with what we do, so you need to just say it. I know you Dean; I know you care about her."

Dean sighs as he throws his head back and looks at the roof of the Impala, "Yeah, a little too much. Frankly, it scares the hell out of me."

"I know." Sam replies as he looks at Dean. "Just don't take too long. You're on limited time here. Better speak up soon or forever hold your peace." Sam says before he gets out of the car and heads toward the diner. Dean follows suit a few minutes later.

Dean joins Sam at the table when the waitress comes over ready to take his order. "I'll have the special with a slice of apple pie for dessert." Dean tells the waitress.

"I'll be right back with your orders." The waitress smiled and walked off as Jo walked towards the table and sits next to Sam facing Dean.

"So, tell me about this doppelganger." Jo insists. "Isn't it a replica of another person?"

"Yeah, pretty much." Sam begins. "It's German for "double goer". It's said to be a person's alter ego—predominately male. It usually morphs into the other person and commits crimes of violence and sex. Dean and I ran into one of these before."

"So, how hard will it be to find this thing? How do we kill it?"

"We?" Dean looks at Jo. "We include me and Sam. I don't want you in this." Dean says condescendingly.

"Here we go again." Jo rolls her eyes. "If I remember correctly, a certain "_serial killer_" would still be killing petite blonds if it wasn't for me."

"And if it wasn't for me and Sam, _you_ would be one of those dead petite blonds. One successful hunt doesn't make you an expert; you're still an amateur."

"Ahem." Sam clears his throat, tapping on the table.

"Shut up Sam!" Dean and Jo say in unison.

Jo looks back at Dean. "We'll see about that when we get to Minnesota. I'm sure Ryan wouldn't have a problem with it."

"Please! Why do you think he left you at the Roadhouse instead of taking you with him?" Dean counters but soon regrets when he sees the hurt on Jo's face.

"Look Dean, if you're so ready to get rid of me just let me know. I'm a big girl remember? I'm sure I can get to Minnesota by myself!" Jo gets up and storms out of the diner almost knocking over the waitress who was bringing their food.

"Shit!" Dean chases after Jo almost knocking the same waitress who just got her composure back. Sam watches them storm off and shakes his head.

"Jo! Wait a minute." Dean chases after Jo.

Stopping in front of the impala, Jo whips around and faces Dean with her arms crossed and speaks. "Open the trunk please. I'd like to get my suitcase."

"Would you just stop for a minute?"

"You know, I actually thought that there was something between us but maybe not. You don't have to worry about me trying to contact you for anything anymore." Jo turns back around and is about to walk off again but, Dean grabs her elbow and pins her between him and the Impala. He's close enough to feel her quickened heart beat and the sweetness of her breath against him. All he can do is look at her while he figures out what to say.

Jo is about to speak when Dean puts his finger on her lips to stop her. The daggers in Jo's eyes begin to fade as she starts to relax.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I'm sure he didn't want to risk you getting hurt—I wouldn't." Dean lowers his hand and moves back to give her space to adjust.

Jo looks at Dean and sees sincerity in his eyes. "Do I detect a breakthrough?" Jo smirks.

Dean, taken aback, averts his eyes and gives a nonchalant laugh. "Just don't go alright. We only have a few more hours before we reach the Minnesota state line."

"Yeah ok but we're not finished here." Jo says as she steps around Dean and walks back toward the diner.

Dean turns around and leans on the impala as he watches Jo walk into the diner. "I'm on limited time." He says to himself before he heads back to the diner.


	4. Chapter 4

**This had to be one of the hardest chapters to write for me. I tried to keep it within the "T" rating. I apologize for taking so long; statistics and marketing class along with work really wore me out. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. As always, I'm open and accepting to all honest criticism. Eva.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own rights to any Supernatural characters.**

It's a little past midnight when Sam, Dean, and Jo reach Minnesota. They decide to call it a night and resume in the morning.

The impala pulls up to the Cozy Inn and everyone gets out of the car. "Alright, so what's the plan for tomorrow?" Jo asks as they walk to the main office.

"Well, there's not much we can do tonight so, just call it a night and we'll pick up in the morning." Sam says as he opens the door to the office letting Jo walk in first with Dean following after.

No one is at the front desk so Dean rings the bell . . . no answer . . . he rings the bell again . . .still no answer . . . In aggravation, Dean leans on the counter rings the bell again, this time harder. They hear someone curse in the back followed by a lot of shuffling.

"Hold on ya dam nit. Give me a minute to get myself together." An elderly man, about 70 years old, drags himself to the counter. He grabs the bell and puts it behind the counter scowling at Dean.

"Well if you took any longer we'd be as old as you are." Dean remarks.

"You'd only be so lucky to reach my age!"

"Uhm, excuse me," Sam interjects. "I apologize for my brother. He can be a jerk sometimes. We'd like a room and I would appreciate it if you could help us."

"Bitch." Dean mumbles under his breath. Sam gives him a side glance.

"Not a problem sir. It's obvious who the mature one is" The elderly man says as he turns to Jo. "We only have two double beds per room, but we have a sofa that extends into a bed if that's okay ma'am."

"Oh, that won't be necessary." Jo adds. "I'll be getting my own room." She glances at Dean and turns back to the man. The wheels turn in Dean's head as he turns and looks at Jo.

"Alright young lady." The elderly man says as he turns around and grabs two keys. "205 for the lady and 220 for the young man and child." The man turns around and drags his way to the back.

As Sam, Dean, and Jo walk to their rooms, they reach Jo's room first. Sam and Dean wait for Jo to open her door and step in.

"Alright, we'll see you in the morning." Sam says as he starts to walk off. Dean lags behind and glances back at Jo.

"See ya." Jo looks at Dean before closing her door.

As Sam and Dean enter the motel room, Sam flicks the light on and throws his bag on the closest bed. Dean closes the door behind him and sets his bag on the table. He grabs his toothbrush and toothpaste out of his bag and walks to the sink. Sam, following suit, goes to the accompanying sink to do the same.

Sam turns is head to look at Dean, "I guess I'll be seeing you in the morning too. Maybe you should freshen up." Sam sneers mockingly.

Dean, in mid-brush, stops and glares at Sam through the mirror. He washes out his mouth and wipes the remaining water dripping from his lips before he speaks.

"We're only going to talk-nothing else." Dean says confidently emphasizing the word "nothing" with the stern wave of his hand.

"Yeah, right." Sam says as he walks to the bed and starts to take his clothes off to get ready for bed.

"Look, I know it's hard for you to believe, hell, it's hard for me to believe. We're just gonna talk alright?"

"Hmm," Sam meditates on what Dean said for about a second. "Yeah, ok. I'll see you in the morning." Sam grins as he gets into bed, throwing the sheet and blanket over him. "Cut the light off on your way out. Thanks."

Dean looks at Sam and shakes his head. He walks out of the door and cuts the light off behind him.

Jo sits on her bed deep in thought; she contemplates going to Dean's room. _Is he going to come by tonight? I knew he would punk out. I should go to his room. I'm not going over there . . . I'm going over there. _Jo gets up and walks to the door intent on going to see Dean. When she opens the door she's surprised to find Dean on the other side about to knock.

"Oh!" Jo said, startled. "You came. For a minute, I thought you were going to wimp out." Dean walks in as Jo closes it behind him.

"Well, you said you wanted to finish this. No better time like the present." Dean says as he turns around to face her.

"Yes, I do want to finish this." Jo states. Her voice goes an octave lower as she looks at Dean, "and starts some other things." Jo leans on the door knob making her pelvis push forward emphasizing the curve of her hips as her curly, golden locks hang over her shoulders.

A chill goes through Dean as he stares into her cognac toned eyes and feels drunk in her gaze. It's not that he doesn't want Jo; he wanted her from the first day they met. He just doesn't want it to happen like any other woman he's been with. He wants it to be different; he needs it to be different. He recalls the conversation he had with Sam moments earlier and wishes he did wimp out.

Dean manages to free himself from her spell and clears his throat to speak. "Jo. Uhm. I."

"No, Dean." Jo interrupts. "Enough." She pushes herself off the door and walks to Dean stopping about a foot in front of him.

"This is the time Dean." Jo continues as she inches closer. "This is the time to speak. I know you care or you wouldn't have said you didn't want me hurt; I can see that you care." She places her hand on his chest above his heart and feels the rhythm quicken. "I can feel that you care. Or am I mistaken?"

"No, you're not mistaken." Dean confesses as he grabs her hand that's over his heart and caresses her face with the other. "I don't want you to marry . . ."

Before he could finish his sentence, Jo cups his face with her hands and kisses him. Her kiss is soft and delicate at first but turns urgent and greedy once she feels his arms wrap around her waist pulling her closer. He becomes lost as his hands trace the contours of her waist and tongue tastes the sweetness of her cinnamon mouthwash. The remembrance of not wanting to rush into this causes Dean to reluctantly break their kiss to speak.

"Jo, I really did come over with the intention to talk. I don't want you to think I planned for this to happen." Dean manages to speak in between trying to catch his breath.

"Dean, it may not have been your plan," Jo whispers as she slides her hand beneath his shirt and up his spine causing him to take a sharp breath. "But it was mine".

Dean lets out a relieved sigh as he grabs Jo in for a passionate kiss. Hands roam, freely exploring each other's body as they move in unison towards the bed. As they reach the foot of the bed, Jo sits down and never takes her eyes off Dean as she removes her shirt. He takes a step back to admire Jo and take in all of her beauty; the creaminess of her toned, porcelain-like skin as it complements her blush colored lace bra.

"You're beautiful." Dean manages to say in between breaths. Jo smiles as she grabs the collar of Dean's shirt and pulls him down on top of her. As Dean uses his forearms to hold himself up, he takes his shirt off and tosses it to the floor. Jo raises her hand and gently traces the outlines of Dean's face and neck while moving down his shoulders and triceps with her fingertips. "You're not too bad yourself."

Dean smiles as he grabs her wrists and pushes them above her head. As their fingers intertwine, Dean's smile fades as his eyes become filled with want. He lowers his face down as they meet lip to lip.

The rest of the night is penetrating, filled with caressing, kissing, groping, and squeezing as Dean and Jo become one in every way possible. The darkness of night disappears as the sunlight fills the room though cracks in the blinds. The rays reflect the sweat as it glistens off their bodies as they sleep, wrapped in each other's arms.

Jo squints her eyes as the sun dances across her face. She lifts her face toward Dean to find him already gazing down at her.

"Good morning." Dean says as he takes is hand and moves a lock of her hair behind her ear. "Sleep well?"

Jo chuckles, "It wasn't much but I slept well."

"You wanted to be the energizer bunny. Maybe you need to recharge your batteries a little bit more."

"I'm not tired you know; unless _you_ need to catch more beauty sleep." Jo reaches around Dean's waist and grabs the side of the bed to pull herself on top of him. Straddling Dean, Jo twirls her fingers in his hair. "Well?"

"Hmm," Dean smirks as his hands move to her waist and up her back. "I'm not tired either." Dean pulls her down into a deep kiss which seems to last forever until the cell phone rings.

Annoyed, Jo sighs and drops her head in the nook between Dean's head and shoulder. "Ugh, that's probably Sam calling to gloat." Dean breathes out as he rubs his face.

Jo grabs the phone and flips it open. "Yes, Sam, calling to gloat huh?"

"Gloat? What? It's me, Rick."


	5. Chapter 5

I want to apologize for taking so long to finish this story. A lot has happened in my life where it was very hard for me to sit and concentrate on this story. That and writer's block is nothing to play with! I am excited that in two weeks I get to "walk" across the stage for my Bachelors degree and I'm officially done the end of summer; I'm taking a much needed break after that. Thank you guys so much for sticking with me and my story. I truly appreciate your likes, follows, and positivity.

* * *

Jo's smile fades as she takes a second look at the phone to realize it's her cell phone and not Dean's. Jo looks at Dean and he comes to the realization that Sam is not on the other end of the phone.

"Ryan! Hey!" Jo stammers as she gradually recovers from the shock.

"Yea, uhm, who's Sam?" Ryan questioned.

"Oh, he's a hunter as well. His dad used to be long time friends of the family. He's like a brother to me." Jo says as she adjusts herself on the bed and Dean gets up to put his clothes on.

"Sam." Ryan repeated slowly as if he was trying to jog his memory. "Sam Winchester? Does he have a brother named Dean?"

"Yes, he does. How did you know? Do you know them?" Jo curiously retorted.

"I don't personally know Sam and Dean but, their reputation precedes them and, you know, hunters are a small group so word gets around fairly quickly." Rick casually replied. "So, what was he calling to gloat about?"

"Gloat? Oh, yeah. Sam and I just had a silly bet. It's really not worth mentioning." Jo replied, quickly changing the subject. "By the way, we're in Minnesota. Sam and Dean we're also checking on this Doppelganger and when they heard you were hunting the same thing, they wanted to help out since they dealt with one before. I bummed a ride with them so I can catch up with you."

"Really? There was brief silence on the other line forever before Ryan replied. "Hmm, that's actually great!"

"Seriously?" Jo looked at Dean who was already dressed and sat on the edge of the bed.

"Sure, why not. This one's a real bastard and I always seem to be one step behind. Help wouldn't hurt; and I get to meet the infamous Sam and Dean Winchester."

Jo shakes her head in disbelief at what she's hearing. "Well, we should be on the road in about an hour so we'll see you soon." Jo says her goodbye and closes the flap on her cell phone, placing it back on the night stand as Dean moves closer to Jo.

"You alright?" Dean asks as he rubs the small of her back.

"Yea, I'm fine." Jo leans into Dean resting her head on his shoulder. "It was just a little weird. He's actually heard of you and Sam and wants to meet you."

"We get around." Dean jokes to try and lighten the situation.

Jo chuckles softly. "Someone's getting a little besides himself huh?

"Well, I hate to make it weirder but, how you want to handle this?" Dean said as he kissed her forehead.

"I'll handle it. This is something I need to discuss with him in person. When we get to St. Paul we'll split up and I'll talk with him then; after we find and kill this thing."

"Ok then. I'm going to head back. Come over when you're ready." Dean cups her face in his hands and softly kisses her before getting up to leave.

Jo sits on the bed a little while longer pondering how she is going to tell Ryan before getting up and heading towards the bathroom.

Meanwhile, Sam is back in their motel room already showered and dressed, clicking away on his laptop when Dean walks in. A smug grin rises on the corners of Sam's mouth as he keeps focus on the laptop.

"So, uh, how was your night? Do I even need to gloat?"

Dean rolls his eyes but smiles as he takes his shirt off, throwing it on his bed. "Spare yourself. I'm gonna hit the shower. Jo should be over in a bit."

Twenty minutes pass when Jo knocks on the door. Sam opens the door to let her in while Dean finishes throwing the rest of his clothes in his bag.

"Hey. You ready to go?" Sam asks as she walks in and sits down in the chair by the table.

"As ready as I'll ever be." She stated looking at Dean.

"Well, let's hit the road."


End file.
